CARLSBAD — Eighteen different nonprofits and schools were awarded a combined $25,000 for classroom instruments, youth theater productions, and art festivals from Carlsbad’s annual Community Arts Grants.
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“(Arts and culture) contribute to our quality of life and community development, encourage life long learning and creative expression, and support tourism and economic development as well,” said the city’s Arts Manager Vincent Kitch.
The city has set aside finances in the General Fund for the Community Arts Grants since its inception in 1986 to support cultural and artistic opportunities for local residents.
This year, Carlsbad gave the largest amounts, several thousand dollars, to the Carlsbad Music Festival. A grant was also awarded to New Village Arts for its theater productions and visual arts education programs. Funds were also granted to the Carlsbad-Oceanside Art League, Mainly Mozart, Patrons of the Arts Foundation/Carlsbad Community Theatre, as well as 13 Carlsbad schools.
The successful project applications met criteria, including project scale, artistic merit, community impact, as well as the organization’s ability to carry out the proposed project and fiscal responsibility.
The Carlsbad Arts Commission convened a peer review panel of local arts professionals and educators to evaluate this year’s applications.
The Commission made the final decision about which proposals were selected and how much money was given to each based on the panel’s recommendations and how well each application met the grant criteria.